Shoes are probably the only piece of equipment that running entails—and strictly speaking, even that is optional! After more than two years of running, here’s how my shoe collection looked like.

Some of the gears in my arsenal 🙂

adidas Supernova Control 10 (Retired)

adidas Supernova Control 10

This is the first pair I bought after I started running after realizing that different shoes have different purposes, so basketball shoes may be used for running but they’re not the best one for the case. This pair will always be special for delivering me through a lot of firsts, but after hundreds of kilometers it had to retire.

Still pretty after all these years

Despite its “retired” status, this pair is actually the most durable pair I’ve so far had. In fact, the only “damages” it has are the hole in the left shoe, and the heavily worn out soles. Everything else is still intact.

Worn-out to the limit soles and a hole on the left shoe were the only damages after hundreds of kilometers

New Balance 811 (Trail, Retired)

New Balance 811

This is my first trail running shoe for my first ever trail run. It had been my partner for so many adventures in and out of the country. Aside from the usual mud, it had even conquered surfaces covered in ice and snow. Now retired after hundreds of kilometers (TNF100 included) and losing most of its tracks.

Left: Lost much of its “teeth” after so many adventures; Right: This is one of those rare trail running shoes that feature excellent cushioning (via its Abzorb EX)

Asics Gel Kayano 13 (Retired)

Asics Gel Kayano 13

The successor to my adidas Supernova, this was my most expensive (but shortest lived) shoes at the time! I was forced to retire it pretty early after its seams stated bursting.

Left: Worn-out to the limit as well; Top: Futile attempt to rescue with adhesive; Bottom: Gel cushioning that extends to forefoot section

New Balance 681 (Retired)

This is my first daily walking slash running shoe. It’s an entry level shoe that’s perfect as an everyday pair but good enough for that unplanned short run. It had to retire after it started “smiling”—but not after registering hundreds of kilometers as well. You may read my New Balance 681 review here.

Left: Another worn-out soles; Right: Smiling shoe 🙂

Speedo Hydro Shell II (Aqua Shoes)

Speedo Hydro Shell II in action in Bohol

The shoe that helped me ease that transition from normal to minimalist shoes. Believe it or not, I used this pair on the difficult trails of Bohol because of the river crossings, but haven’t used since because of my transition to minimalist shoes. There’s currently not much occasion I can imagine using it, so for now it had to be “tucked away.”

K-Swiss K-Ona (Active)

K-Swiss K-Ona

This is my first lightweight running shoe which I wore for my first full marathon outside the country. Because I loved how light it weighed I used it quite a lot but after hundreds of kilometers, it had already hinted for a retirement status.You may read my K-Swiss K-Ona review here.

Vibram Five Fingers Sprint (Retired)

Vibram Five Fingers Sprint

This is my first minimalist shoes and my lightest pair ever. It opened doors for me to real barefoot running (outside beaches) and because of regular use it’s now retired for running, but not as my gym buddy. It’s the only pair in this list that I wasn’t able to use for races beyond 10K.You may read my VFF Sprint review here.

adidas ClimaCool Ride (Active)

This is the newest member of my collection and had just seen its first half marathon in Bonifacio Global City. I originally bought it as my daily pair but as it turned out, it’s excellent for running as well. At my current rate of use, I may see it retire before the end of the year! You may read my adidas CC Ride review here.

The newest one in this set: adidas CC Ride (top)

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Nike Zoom Air Elite: My first ever running shoe

This list however does not include my first ever running shoe, the Nike Zoom Air Elite, which sadly retired before my first ever race. It was my first pair to retire because of so much mileage (mostly in the gym) and, like my first adidas pair, had just been worn out to retirement. After all these years, I’ve yet returned to the brand, but I still remember how “perfect” it fitted.

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Lots of memorable moments with these guys

I made this post to pay homage to the special retirees on this list. Each one was special, each one shared memories and glories of the past. As I finally tuck some of them away, this is my way of paying tribute to those special moments. These shoes saw me from my first race all the way to my first ultramarathon, from the slowest to the personal bests. I may no longer able to wear them for races, but they’d always be part of what brought me to where I am now. And now, it’s time to make new memories with the new recruits.